Friday, October 01, 2010

Gibbs Claims Republicans Using Jedi Mind Tricks To Stall Tax Cuts

It is interesting (and amusing) to watch liberals - so used to existing in echo chambers - get completely flabbergasted when someone questions one of their their inane assertions. Accustomed to having even their most outlandish accusation receive nothing but nods of agreement amongst their peers, they find themselves completely unable to defend their positions when challenged on them. Usually because, on the facts, they are indefensible.

Classic example below, as ABC's ace reporter (yes, there is one) Jake Tapper asks Robert Gibbs how the Republicans can be holding the Bush tax cuts "hostage" when they've introduced a bill and the Democrats haven't. Cue the calliope music, and...we're off!

TAPPER:David Axelrod said something that the president has been saying for a long time, which is that Republicans are holding the middle-class tax cuts hostage. I understand it, Democrats haven't introduced a bill in the Senate, and the Republicans have. Wouldn't there have to be a bill that Republicans are threatening to block or blocking before anything is being held hostage?

GIBBS: I don't know what bills have been introduced in the Senate. Obviously, I think the -- the posture of -- I don't think the bill would have to be the existence of -- I mean, I think their rhetoric alone, from Senator McConnell and others, have been that the price of -- there's a $700 billion price tag on moving forward on the tax cuts for the middle class. That's the tax cuts for the wealthy.

TAPPER:So there doesn't have to be an actual...

GIBBS: Well, absolutely. And, you know, look, we -- I've said this -- it's now been a couple of weeks, obviously, but, you know, we -- we -- we agree on -- we agree on the middle-class part of this, or so they say. Their price tag for the middle class was the $700 billion. We could have passed the middle class alone, provided some much needed certainty to -- to the economy and to middle-class families, and had -- still had plenty of time to debate the $700 billion price tag for -- for the other cuts.

TAPPER:Why not do that? Why not introduce the bill...

REPORTER: Why not get Republicans on the record?

TAPPER:... and -- and force Republicans to filibuster that?

GIBBS: They were unwilling to do that. They were unwilling to...

REPORTER:But who has the power to introduce the bill?So tricky and evil are those dastardly Republicans, that they can hold hostage bills that poor, weak Democrats haven't even introduced yet, simply with the powers of their mind. And what chance does a mere Democratic bill have against such darkness?And you wonder why the nation is in the state that its in...So I guess the Republicans here are...the good guys? Nice of Gibbs to admit that: